Finding their home with help from HOS

By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

The Mejia family's address has changed more times than they'd care to count since they moved to Albany in 1996, but their next move will be to a permanent residence: their own home.

After renting apartments on Swan Street, Elk Street and Watervliet Avenue in the city for the past three years, Luis and Lourdes Mejia are close to buying a home in the Capital Region where they and their four children finally can settle down.

"It's a dream come true. We have something reserved for us, our family," Mrs. Mejia said through an interpreter.

Affordability

They've been able to achieve this goal through the Affordable Housing Program run by Hispanic Outreach Services (HOS), an agency of Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese.

The program began two years ago as a way to assist low-income families in becoming homeowners. A dozen families are actively pursuing home ownership, but the Mejia family would be just the second family to own a home through the program, according to Luis de la Cruz, the Mejias' case manager from HOS.

A family must meet certain requirements in order to qualify for the program: They must occupy the property as their principal residence, they must be first-time home buyers, and their household income cannot exceed 120 percent of the Housing and Urban Development area median income limits, presently $54,360.

If a family meets the requirements and has no credit problems or foreseeable difficulty earning income, they can borrow money through M & T Mortgage Corporation and make a down payment on a home for as little as $500, Mr. de la Cruz said.

Helping hand

As a case worker, Mr. de la Cruz helps families with a poor credit history and acts as an intermediary if they don't speak English or don't understand some of the technical aspects of buying a home, but Hispanic Outreach Services won't do all the work for families.

"Self-sufficiency is something we promote a lot. You have to make an effort," he said. "We're not here to sell a house. We're not brokers. We're here to facilitate the process of buying a house."

For most families, that means about two years from the time they enter the Affordable Housing Program until they are ready to buy a house, a wait that can be frustrating. "It's normal to get disappointed when you find out it's going to take a couple of years. It all depends on the attitude of the client," Mr. de la Cruz said.

Coming home

Luis and Lourdes, natives of the Dominican Republic who moved their family to Albany in 1996, read about the Affordable Housing Program in a diocesan booklet her sister gave them. They were renting at the time and decided that they wanted to begin taking steps toward home ownership, so they called HOS and began working with Mr. de la Cruz.

The Mejias had no credit problems, but getting information on their credit history and making progress in their effort to buy a home proved difficult at times.

"You can't get a house just like that. You try to find a way to get it, and it does take time," Mr. Mejia said.

His wife also understood that buying a home wouldn't be easy, but prayer and patience helped her to deal with the wait. "I was never frustrated. Everything would fall into place," she said.

Months of effort

Mr. Mejia's income at an Albany bodega would not have been sufficient to make the mortgage payments, but he eventually worked more hours at his job and met the income requirements.

For months, Mr. de la Cruz had called or visited the Mejias to update them on the progress they were making, but it was only a few weeks ago that they got the call they had been waiting for: They had been pre-approved to buy a house. The news evoked an emotional response from the Mejias.

"At first, I was surprised. When he told me, I was so proud. It was great," Mr. Mejia said.

Mrs. Mejia, a religious woman who attends Mass at St. Patrick's Church in Albany, said her faith in God made this possible. "It was a dream come true. I was praying for this," she said. "God has always guided me. I strongly feel God has angels on earth, and [Mr. de la Cruz] is one of them."

Next steps

Now that they have approval, the Mejias don't know where they want to buy a house, but they're thinking Albany or Schenectady. They have four children -- Joel, Michael, Angel and Emily -- and want to move somewhere with good schools. Mrs. Mejia knows how she'll make up her mind, and it's something that's worked for her before.

"I'm praying and seeking guidance from God to decide where to go," she said.

(For more information on the Affordable Housing Program, call Hispanic Outreach Services at 463-1217.)

(06-03-99) [[In-content Ad]]